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Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni

Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni

Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni al-Razi (Persian: شیخ ابوجعفر محمّد بن یعقوب بن اسحاق کلینی رازی; c. 250 AH/864 CE – 329 AH/941 CE).[1] was a Persian[2] Shia hadith collector.[3]

Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Yaqoub ibn Ishaq al-Kulayni
TitleThiqatul-Islam Kulayni
Personal
Born250 AH
Died329 AH
ReligionIslam
EraIslamic golden age
RegionIran & Iraq
DenominationShia Islam
Main interest(s)Hadith
Notable work(s)Kitab al-Kafi
Muslim leader

Life

Al-Kulayni was born in Kulayn, a village or small town situated near Rey, in Iran.[4] His father was Ya'qub al-Kulayni, who is buried at Rey. He belonged to the era of the Minor Occultation of Muhammad al-Mahdi (the last Twelver Shia Imam who, according to Shia belief, is currently in occultation and will certainly appear before the Day of Judgment) and is claimed to have greatly benefited from al-Mahdi's divine knowledge by interacting with him through the Imam's deputies and emissaries.[5][6]

Kulayni received his early religious education in his native town and went to Rey for further education. According to Shia view he is among a special class of muhaddithin known as Rihalah-ye hadith i.e. those who travelled in order to collect ahadith and met the persons considered to be the authority on hadith.[6]

He travelled to Baghdad for this reason and lived there for twenty years, engaged in teaching and pursuing academic work, until he died in 329 AH/941 CE. He is considered the foremost Shia compiler of hadith and was the author of Kitab al-Kafi.[7]

Work and contribution

Although Shaykh al-Kulaynī is most famous for al-Kāfī, this opus was not his only accomplishment. The following is a list of his known works:

  • Kitab al-Kafi (extant)

  • Rasāʾil al-aʿimmah

  • Kitāb al-rijāl

  • Kitāb al-radd ʿalā al-qarāmiṭah

  • Kitāb mā qīla fī al-aʾimmah min al-shiʿr

  • Kitāb taʿbīr al-ruʾyā

Sadly, of these, only al-Kāfī has survived in its entirety.[8]

    Early Islamic scholars
    		Muhammad (570–632) prepared the Constitution of Medina, taught the Quran, and advised his companions
    		`Abd Allah bin Masud (died 650) taughtAli (607–661) fourth caliph taughtAisha, Muhammad's wife and Abu Bakr's daughter taughtAbd Allah ibn Abbas (618–687) taughtZayd ibn Thabit (610–660) taughtUmar (579–644) second caliph taughtAbu Hurairah (603–681) taught
    Alqama ibn Qays (died 681) taught
    		Husayn ibn Ali (626–680) taughtQasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr (657–725) taught and raised by AishaUrwah ibn Zubayr (died 713) taught by Aisha, he then taughtSaid ibn al-Musayyib (637–715) taughtAbdullah ibn Umar (614–693) taughtAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (624–692) taught by Aisha, he then taught
    Ibrahim al-Nakha’i taught
    		Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (659–712) taught
    		Hisham ibn Urwah (667–772) taughtIbn Shihab al-Zuhri (died 741) taughtSalim ibn Abd-Allah ibn Umar taughtUmar ibn Abdul Aziz (682–720) raised and taught by Abdullah ibn Umar
    Hammad bin ibi Sulman taught
    		Muhammad al-Baqir (676–733) taughtFarwah bint al-Qasim Abu Bakr's great grand daughter Jafar's mother
    Abu Hanifa (699–767) wrote Al Fiqh Al Akbar and Kitab Al-Athar, jurisprudence followed by Sunni, Sunni Sufi, Barelvi, Deobandi, Zaidiyyah Shia and originally by the Fatimid and taughtZayd ibn Ali (695–740)Ja'far bin Muhammad Al-Baqir (702–765) Ali's and Abu Bakr's great great grand son taughtMalik ibn Anas (711–795) wrote Muwatta, jurisprudence from early Medina period now mostly followed by Sunni in Africa and taught
    		Al-Waqidi (748–822) wrote history books like Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi, student of Malik ibn AnasAbu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Abdul Hakam (died 829) wrote biographies and history books, student of Malik ibn Anas
    Abu Yusuf (729–798) wrote Usul al-fiqhMuhammad al-Shaybani (749–805)
    		Al-Shafi‘i (767–820) wrote Al-Risala, jurisprudence followed by Sunni and taughtIsmail ibn Ibrahim
    		Ali ibn al-Madini (778–849) wrote The Book of Knowledge of the Companions
    		Ibn Hisham (died 833) wrote early history and As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah, Muhammad's biography
    Isma'il ibn Jafar (719–775)Musa al-Kadhim (745–799)
    		Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855) wrote Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal jurisprudence followed by Sunni and hadith booksMuhammad al-Bukhari (810–870) wrote Sahih al-Bukhari hadith booksMuslim ibn al-Hajjaj (815–875) wrote Sahih Muslim hadith booksMuhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi (824–892) wrote Jami` at-Tirmidhi hadith booksAl-Baladhuri (died 892) wrote early history Futuh al-Buldan, Genealogies of the Nobles
    		Ibn Majah (824–887) wrote Sunan ibn Majah hadith book
    		Abu Dawood (817–889) wrote Sunan Abu Dawood Hadith Book
    Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (864- 941) wrote Kitab al-Kafi hadith book followed by Twelver Shia
    		Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838–923) wrote History of the Prophets and Kings, Tafsir al-Tabari
    		Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (874–936) wrote Maqālāt al-islāmīyīn, Kitāb al-luma, Kitāb al-ibāna 'an usūl al-diyāna
    Ibn Babawayh (923–991) wrote Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih jurisprudence followed by Twelver Shia
    		Sharif Razi (930–977) wrote Nahj al-Balagha followed by Twelver Shia
    		Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201–1274) wrote jurisprudence books followed by Ismaili and Twelver Shia
    		Al-Ghazali (1058–1111) wrote The Niche for Lights, The Incoherence of the Philosophers, The Alchemy of Happiness on Sufism
    		Rumi (1207–1273) wrote Masnavi, Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi on Sufism
    Key: Some of Muhammad's CompanionsKey: Taught in MedinaKey: Taught in IraqKey: Worked in SyriaKey: Travelled extensively collecting the sayings of Muhammad and compiled books of hadithKey: Worked in Iran

    See also

    • Sharif al-Murtaza

    • Al-Sharif al-Radi

    • Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid

    • Al-Hurr al-Aamili

    References

    [1]
    Citation Linkwww.islam-laws.comShaikh Mohammed bin Yaqoob bin Ishaq Kulaini & Al Kafi @ islam-laws.com
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [2]
    Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgFrye, ed. by R.N. (1975). The Cambridge history of Iran (Repr. ed.). London: Cambridge U.P. p. 472. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [3]
    Citation Linkwww.mehrnews.comSheikh Kulayni, the right keeper of Shia Ahadith mehrnews.com Retrieved 17 Oct 2018
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [4]
    Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgAli Akbar al-Ghaffari's introduction to his eight-volume edition of al-Kulayni's Usul al-Kafi , Tehran, 3rd edition 1388-), I, 9–13.
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [5]
    Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgAli Akbar al-Ghaffari's introduction to his eight-volume edition of al-Kulayni's al-Kafi , Ibid. I, 13–14.
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [6]
    Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgSyed Waheed Akhtar: Early Imammiyah Shiite Thinkers
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [7]
    Citation Linkwww.amazon.comMeri, Josef W. (2005). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. USA: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-96690-0.
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [8]
    Citation Linkwww.amazon.comIslamic Texts Institute. Al-Kafi Book I: Intellect and Foolishness. Taqwa Media. ISBN 9781939420008.
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [9]
    Citation Linkbooks.google.comClassical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature by Norman Calder, J A Mojaddedi, Andrew Rippin
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [10]
    Citation Linkbooks.google.comThe Formative Period of Twelver Shi'Ism: Hadith As Discourse Between Qum and Baghdad by Andrew J Newman
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [11]
    Citation Linkwww.al-islam.orgGreat Shiite Works: Al-Kafi by Al-Kulayni by I. K. A. Howard in al Serat Journal.
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [12]
    Citation Linkwww.hadith.net'Al-Kafi' by Al-Kulayni by Dr. I. K. A. Howard Al-Serat, Vol. 2 (1976), No. 1
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [13]
    Citation Linkweb.archive.orgThe Trustworthy of Islam Kulayni
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [14]
    Citation Linkbuali.irThe Buyid Domination as the Historical Background for the Flourishing of Muslim Scholarship During the 4th/10th Century by Dr. M. Ismail Marcinkowski*
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [15]
    Citation Linkwww.islam-laws.comShaikh Mohammed bin Yaqoob bin Ishaq Kulaini. & Al Kafi
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [16]
    Citation Linkwww.islamictexts.orgIslamic Texts Institute
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [17]
    Citation Linkwww.amazon.com"Al-Kafi Book I: Intellect and Foolishness"
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [18]
    Citation Linkwww.islam-laws.comShaikh Mohammed bin Yaqoob bin Ishaq Kulaini & Al Kafi @ islam-laws.com
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [19]
    Citation Linkwww.mehrnews.comSheikh Kulayni, the right keeper of Shia Ahadith
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM
    [20]
    Citation Linkwww.amazon.comMedieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia
    Sep 29, 2019, 2:48 AM